The Prophecy
by Aeronator
Summary: The road to Stratholme awaits, the choices Arthas make will reshape the future of Lordaeron
1. Road to Stratholme

_Welcome to my first fanfiction, I'm hoping that this will turn into an interesting story that many people will enjoy._

_The inspiration for this story comes from playing a Map called Dark ages of Warcraft by Luka_Blight using the Warcraft 3 editor._

_**The Prophecy **_

Arthas Menethil, Crown Prince of Lordaeron, and apprentice of the Lightbringer had a sense of urgency surrounding him as he travelled along the path that led to Stratholme. He was stopped by a man with a strange aura surrounding him.

"My Prince" – The man said

"What is it?" came the irritated reply of Arthas

"This land is doomed, you have only one chance to save your peo…" The mysterious man argued

Arthas aggressively turned around and barked-"I have no time for your games old man, get out of my way, I have a nation to save"

"Please hear me out good prince, you will find only death here in this desolate land, Gather your people, Gather those that will follow you, and lead them West to the forgotten lands of Kalimdor, you will find salvation there, and the chance to fight the coming darkness…" – With those final words the mysterious man shapeshifted into a raven and flew away

"The idea of leaving anyone behind to fight these undead beasts is ridiculous" Arthas murmured to himself

The sound of footsteps brought Arthas from his thoughts

Arthas laid eyes on the eavesdropper in this presence, a beautiful woman with long dirty blonde hair that graced her shoulders and crisp icy blue eyes that defined her face was making her way towards him. Everything about this woman seemed to be perfect, the white shirt and pants she wore showed off the modest beau…

"Arthas I can sense a powerful aura emanating from that man, We should consider his advice" came the advice of Jania Proudmoore.

Jania was the daughter of Daelin Proudmoore, Lord Admiral of Kul'Tiras. Jaina is a very talented sorcerous that caught the eye of Lord Antonidas, High Arch Mage of Dalaran, whom took her as his apprentice.

Pacing back and forth Arthas argues "What if we can save Lordaeron? What if we can save the people of this land?"

"Arthas you've seen your own soldiers rise from the grave to fight their own kin, Lordaeron can't fight the dead Arthas… we must heed the prophets advice" came the confident reply of the sorcerous

"I've seen this Prophet before Arthas, he came requesting Antonidas to lead refugees across the great sea to Kalimdor." She continued

Arthas continued to walk towards Stratholme but someone called his name. As he turned around the image of one of his Captains, Luc Valonforth, met his eyes. The captain wore the Captain grade armor of Lordaeron with a secondary color of white. Valonforth's dark blue eyes locked with his superiors green eyes.

"Prince Arthas, the lady may be right about that prophet." Captain Valonforth stated

"I fought alongside you at Hearthglen, and through that fight, I had to battle our fallen brethren as they succumbed to the plague of undeath."

Both Arthas and his captain remembered organizing the defense of Hearthglen, the town almost fell to the immense onslaught of the Scourge, having to witness brave defenders of Lordaeron being twisted and raised into undeath is a sight none should have to bear. Only the timely arrival of Lord Uther and his knights brought victory. The cold grip of death almost took Arthas and the rest of the village from this world only to be reanimated into undead that would plague Lordaeron further.

"In any case we must travel to Stratholme to regroup with the rest of our forces, Captain Falric must be wondering where we are." Came the heated reply of Arthas

"I guess you're right Arthas, we have to regroup with the rest of our forces no matter what is decided." Jaina said giving into the logic of what Arthas said

"As you wish my lord, Lady Proudmoore you may use my horse if you wish." Captain Valonforth said formally

"Thank you captain, concentrating to keep myself invisible takes a lot of energy." Came Jaina's sincere thanks

The voyage to Stratholme was relatively quiet with few interruptions except for a few unlucky undead that met their end from the holy mace, Light's Vengence, the personal weapon of the Prince of Lordaeron.

Upon entering the main base camp the trio was greeted by Captain Falric and Lieutenant Marwyn, and cheers of many soldiers happy with the prince's return. Captain Falric was the highest ranking captain and he wore captains armor with a blue secondary color and blue cape to signify his rank among the men. Lieutenant Marwyn wore standard footmen armor and had black secondary attachments to make his armor unique.

"Prince Arthas we have been waiting an unusually long time for your return, did something happen my lord?" Captain Falric asked

Arthas took an uneasy breath and explained the encounter with the prophet to his other captain, and the advice from both Lady Jaina and fellow captain Luc Valonforth.

"That is disturbed to hear my lord, but what Lady Jaina and Captain Valonforth say is true, each of our soldiers that fall in battle only make the enemy stronger, this may be a fight that we can't win." Captain Falric said

"My lord, we can't just abandon the people to their fates! What would Lord Uther think, what would King Terenas think if we give up and flee to another land?" replied lieutenant Marwyn

Arthas thought about what his captain said, he made sense, as a prince I can't just flee my country, especially during a time of war, its sheer cowardice.

"I agree with lieutenant Marwyn, what are we to do about the people who will not follow me to this ancient land of Kalimdor?" Arthas argued

"Arthas, we can't save everybody, but we can try to save as many people as we possibly can, staying here and talking about it will not solve anything though… my lord." came Jaina's sad reply

Arthas knew her words were true, not everyone can be saved.

"We must ride into the city and speak with guard stationed there and find out if the infected grain from Andorhal has been dispersed amongst the populace yet" Arthas decided

Arthas, Falric, Luc Valonforth, and Marwyn mounted their horses along with a regiment of soldiers to enter the city, Jaina was left behind to oversee the encampment.

Upon entering Stratholme curious stares were given to the fully armed soldiers following Arthas, some citizens cheered and were delighted with the prince's presence.

A large squadron of guards alongside their senior guard saluted Arthas and gave a low bow to empathize their loyalty to the crown.

"Are you the captain of the guard here soldier?" Arthas asked

"Sir, I am, How can I help you your majesty?" replied the captain of Stratholme

Arthas saw the open crates of grain that had the symbol of Andorhal on them, and feared the worst, an infected city that would slowly fall to the damned.

"Has the grain… been distributed yet?" came the solemn question

"Only the citizens have been given the grain, the guard have opted to wait for the next shipment because of the grain shortage." Came the formal reply of the captain

"Oh no…" Arthas muttered to himself

The entire city must be purged, these people will slowly succumb to the plague of undeath, when the city falls and the entire populace falls to the damned the enemy will become stronger than ever. If only the people knew what was going to happen to them, they would want me to save them, they would want me to save them from this horrible fate. They would want me to end their torment before it begins, before they can serve the enemy in death. – Arthas furiously tried to convince himself that this was the right course of action.

"I must return to my camp, captain please make sure the people are inside their homes before nightfall." Arthas ordered

"Yes my lord" came the captains reply

Arthas and his soldiers rode quickly back to the camp, a speech was needed to convince his soldiers of the purging.

"Arthas, why are you back so soon? What happened in the city?" Jaina quickly asked

Arthas grabbed her by the hand and brought her inside his tent.

"Jania the plagued grain reached the city… the entire populace… is infected, Stratholme is doomed, it must be purged, we can't let those people fall into undeath and serve the enemy." Arthas said miserably

"Arthas, there has to be another way, we can't just purge an entire city, that's inhumane… how could you even consider that Arthas, you're a paladin!" Jaina shrieked

Captain Falric, Captain Valonforth, and Lieutenant Marwyn entered the royal tent

"My lord." Each man said in unison

"Officers, what do you believe is the best course of action?" Arthas asked

"Prince Arthas, we should request immediate aid from Quel'Thalas to help treat the infected citizens of Stratholme, and keep the city quarantined." Captain Falric said

"My lord, we need to purge this city as quickly as possible before our own people fall to the plague and enter this world again as undead minions, it would be dishonorable to let our own people fall into enemy hands in such a way." Lieutenant Marwyn recited

"Only one clear option is present right now my prince, we need to summon the Stratholme guard and lead all of our forces to Southshore. You then need to send our messengers to every city and town in Lordaeron calling for them to take their belongings and follow you to this ancient land of Kalimdor." Captain Valonforth pleaded

"I need to address the men…" Arthas replied

_Authors Note: So this is the first chapter, I hope the story is good so far and is at least tolerable, this is my first time writing please comment on my writing style and look for areas for improvement._

_I am considering changing the course of the story on what people want me to do, the last three replies from each captain details the choices that people can 'vote' for by saying what they want in a review. I'll continue writing the story based off this first choice that will change the story immensely. _

_Thank you for reading the first chapter of "The Prophecy" _


	2. New Orders

_There was a decent amount of feedback based off the first chapter, but not enough for me to make a clear choice, so I decided to do something different._

**The Prophecy**

Arthas left his tent and turned to the soldiers gathered around the center of the camp.

"Soldiers of Lordaeron, there is a great evil that has befallen our land, the dead rise up against us, our fellow soldiers are raised from death to fight us, There is a Scourge ravaging our great Kingdom." Arthas bellowed.

"The infected grain from Andorhal has reached the citizens of Stratholme, they will die soon, and will join the enemy in undeath" Arthas continued.

"We must take action if we are to survive, My captains and I have debated what must be done, and I have decided that we need to prepare preparations to secure a new land to call our home should Lordaeron be overwhelmed by the plague. But we can't abandon our fellow countrymen to their fates, we must travel to Quel'Thalas and request the aid of their elven priests to help cure our people." Arthas dictated.

Rumbling was heard from within the crowd, some cheers, and some glares.

A loud objection was heard from the crowd. "You want us to flee from our homeland with our tails between our legs?"

Lieutenant Marwyn stepped forward "If every citizen in Stratholme will fall this Scourge soon, then we must take action now, the city must be purged of this infection, a trek to Quel'Thalas will take too long, are we supposed to just let our countrymen suffer?" came the striking response from Lieutenant Marwyn.

Arthas stared at his Lieutenant, wishing he would not have brought that option up to the men.

A few cheers were held for Marwyn's response, showing some soldiers agreed with him.

"Enough Lieutenant, I have made my decision, and I will remind that I am your sovereign Prince, you will obey my command without dissent." Came Arthas' stern reply.

Arthas looked at his men, then turned behind him, hearing the sounds hooves.

The noise grew louder and louder until, Lord Uther, and his contingent of knights and Paladins of the Silverhand entered Arthas' base camp just outside of Stratholme.

"Uther, It's good to see you here, I was thinking you wouldn't show up" Arthas said.

"It's good to see you and the men still alive, I've been hounded by the undead the entire journey". Uther replied.

"Uther there is something you need to know..." Arthas said.

Arthas then told Uther of the situation in Stratholme, and the options presented to him by his Captains and Jaina.

"My God, this is a disaster waiting to happen, but I'm happy you have shown clear leadership. Arthas do you truly want to send an expeditionary force to this ancient land, especially with the undead besieging our Kingdom?" Uther criticized.

"Uther I don't, and will not abandon my people, but you must feel it, the coming darkness, this Undead Scourge is just the beginning of something far more terrible. I was hoping you would side with me, and help me in this endeavor." Arthas said.

Jaina walked over to Uther and Arthas and added, "Uther you have not felt the immense power the Prophet who warned us wields, he is very powerful, I think he knows the future and is warning of the chaos destined to overrun Lordaeron."

"I'm sorry Arthas, I'm sorry Jaina, I can't forsake this Kingdom, I am sworn to Lordaeron, and to Teranas. I will not stop you from journeying across the sea, but I will not join you, I must continue denying the undead any foothold in Lordaeron." Uther stated.

"If you will not join us Uther, then I have one command of you, through the sovereignty of my crown, I order you to help find a cure for the people of Stratholme, deny the undead any foothold is what you call your object, then help prevent the undead from claiming Stratholme through her people." Arthas pleaded.

"Prince Arthas, lad, I will gladly see to it that I do everything in my power to rid these people of the infection that plagues them, My paladins and I will return shortly, we must venture to the Chapel of Holy Light just outside of Stratholme to gather some supplies" Uther said.

"Very good Uther, Captain Falric and I, along with a quarter of the soldiers, will be going to Quel'Thalas to request aid from the elven priests, their excellence in the healing magics may prove worthwhile in ending this plague." Arthas replied

As Arthas looks over to Jaina, he continues "Jaina and Captain Valonforth will take half the soldiers and visit as many plague free towns, and send out requests for supplies and other citizens of different kingdoms to join them in their exodus from Lordaeron. Lieutenant Marwyn shall command the final quarter of the soldiers, and remain at Stratholme to safegaurd the cities." Arthas commanded

"Arthas you must come with me to Kalimdor, I'm not a leader, I don't know how to build a city, or a new Kingdom at that." Jaina rationalized, with tears threatening to burst from her eyes

"Jaina we all have a duty, and we both have our own, Captain Valonforth will aid you in setting up a new settlement, but I believe you have what it takes to keep our people safe." Arthas said completely composed.

Arthas was sad that he would not see Jaina for some time, but he knew that she could handle herself, and do what was necessary to protect humanity.

Uther and his Knights of the Silverhand were already mounted and moving out to their destination at the Chapel of the Holy Light.

The soldiers of Lordaeron under Arthas' command slowly drifted to where they were assigned.

The largest portion, about half of the regiment followed Lady Proudmoore and Captain Valonforth as they strode out to visit the various cities of Lordaeron, and send out letters requesting supplies and followers to the various Eastern Kingdoms, notably Gilneas, Dalaran, Stromgarde, Quel'Thalas, Khaz'Modan, and Stormwind.

"Alright men... we have a lot of work to do, and a lot of traveling to do, We must rally as many people as possible, we can't fail Arthas, we can't fail Lordaeron!" Jaina urged to the soldiers newly under her command

A cheer was heard from Jaina's grouping of soldiers.

The second largest porition, under the command of Prince Arthas, and Captain Falric, marched eastward to the Elven Kingdom of Quel'Thalas to spead with the Sunstrider dynasty about securing aid to heal the people of Lordaeron, a task which may prove difficult.

"We must succeed, the citizens of Stratholme, perhaps even the Kingdom are depending on us to win the support of the elven priests, without their mastery of healing magic, many will die, we must prevent this at all costs." Arthas shouted

The smallest portion of soldiers, a contingent of soldiers and knights under the command of Lieutenant Marwyn were charged with protecting the people of Stratholme from any further undead advances, a task that could cost many their lives.

"The prince has ordered us to protect Stratholme, and we will carry out his wishes, But in order to fully realize this, we need more Soldiers, I will speak with the Captain of the Stratholme guard to secure more troops, and better weaponry to keep the undead at bay, For the Prince!, FOR LORDAERON!. " Lieutenant Marwyn declared.

The cheers of the soldiers could be heard for miles around, Lordaeron's blood still flowed with life, a testament these soldiers could make.

Authors Note: Please read and review, reviews are helpful to my motivation and will definatly speed up the writing process, and I plan to write much more frequently, now that my classes are nearly finished.


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